Season To Taste: A Defense of Salt

In so many recipes, the author throws out the remark "season to taste", as though this is a minor instruction. Combined with our fear of salt created over the years by the health establishment, it's no surprise that adding salt and pepper to a dish is often neglected. Yet proper seasoning is crucial to good cooking; it is often the key difference between the merely competent and the really good cook.

I won't attempt to address the health issues; for a good summary of the issue, see "http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/79...". However, over 75% of all salt consumed is in processed foods; not what is added during cooking or at the table. So by adding basic panty staples which are "no salt added" or using fresh foods and learning to season properly, your dishes will taste a lot better without adding additional salt to your over-all diet.

Take two examples. Heat up one cup of regular chicken stock (which has about 1 teaspoon of salt in it). Heat up one cup of no-salt chicken stock. In the no-salt stock, add a bay leaf, thyme, and parsley (tied up with string in a little bundle if using fresh herbs, or tied up in cheesecloth if using dried). Simmer with the herbs for 15 minutes, and then add salt to taste. Do the same test with canned whole tomatoes, adding basil or oregano if desired. The flavors will be more intense with your own seasoned items. Further, stock and tomatoes are usually added to other ingredients that may or may not have salt already, so your own seasoning give you more control over salt intake.

Part of why salt is undervalued is that we often don't appreciate all it does in the kitchen. Yes, salt is a basic taste, (along with sweetness, bitterness, and acidity), but it does a lot more. Salt added to anything will draw out moisture, (as seen in salt cod, gravlax, or ham), and intensify flavor. A small amount of salt (usually never more than 1/4 tsp) will enhance sweetness, which is why it's added to baked goods. Too much salt will inhibit yeast devlopment in breads, but a small amount actually strengthens the gluten and provides structure. Salt lowers the freezing point of a liquid and increases the boiling temperature. So if you want something to chill fast, like a bottle of wine or hot soup, put it in a salt-water bath. If you want to make sure that pasta strands will not stick together and are not gummy, add them to salted, rapidly boiling water.

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